72,384 Prison Inmates In Nigeria With 66% On Awaiting Trial — NPS

BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) says the current population of prisoners in Nigeria stands at 72,384 with 66 per cent of the total number being awaiting trial inmates.

Specifically, the Comptroller General of NPS, Jaafaru Ahmed said that the 66 per cent represent 48,527 of awaiting inmates in prison facilities throughout the country as at December 15, 2017.

This was just as the Chief Executive Officer of Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA). Dr. Uju Agomoh said to address the plight of awaiting trial inmates; stakeholders should tackle the seeming lack of speedy trial, overuse of imprisonment by the courts, inadequate prison structures, abuse of powers to arrest and grant bail conditions by the police

Speaking at the quarterly meeting of the Penal Reform Media Network (PERMNET) in Lagos, the NPS boss, who was represented by the Service Public Relations Officer, Francis Enobore, also said; “As of today December 15, 2017, the current population of prisoners in Nigeria is put at 72,384 with 48,527 of the figure being awaiting trial inmates. The awaiting trial inmates therefore constitute about 66 percent of the prison population.”

While commending the intervention of various stakeholders in decongesting the prison, Jaafaru appealed for more collaboration from relevant agencies of government in addressing the plight of awaiting trial inmates.

According to him; “There is need for more collaboration among the three arms of the criminal justice system to enhance synergy so that anybody brought to prison as awaiting trial, the case will be determined as quickly as possible. The other arms have to do their part so that there would be quick dispensation of justice.”

He commended PRAWA for spearheading the campaigns towards the decongestion of prison facilities through advocacy campaigns and consultative meetings.

The quarterly meeting, hosted by PRAWA, proposed that Prison facilities should be mandated to only accept persons into detention for whom there is a legal warrant authorizing imprisonment and also speeding up the trial process so that detainees spend less time in pre-trial detention.

The meeting further canvassed issues relating to adaptation of criminal procedure codes so that judges rather than prosecutors make the decision about pre-trial detention.